The present invention relates to a package suitable for delivery of red-ripe fresh tomatoes to the consumer. The package ensures the physical protection of the tomatoes, and maintains them in the red-ripe stage for about 7 to about 14 days at customary room temperature.
There is considerable demand among consumers for red-ripe fresh tomatoes. Provision of such tomatoes to consumers by growers and industry has been difficult due to the limited time length of the red-ripe stage and the susceptibility of red-ripe tomatoes to bruising, rupture, and microbial attack. Bruising and physical damage accelerates respiration and water loss, thus shortening the length of the red-ripe stage and causing senescence and shriveling of the tomatoes.
Most red-ripe tomatoes available in the marketplace are harvested in the mature green stage of ripening and subsequently exposed to ethylene gas to initiate ripening off the vine. The tomatoes are then quickly shipped in bulk to their final destination so that they will be in the red-ripe stage at the time of sale to the consumer. This method is used because tomatoes picked in the red-ripe stage or in the red-green stage off the vine will be overripe by the time of sale to the consumer. Problems with this method include bruising due to bulk shipping and reduced flavor in the tomatoes themselves due to picking in the green stage rather than in the vine-ripe stage.
Representative prior art packages for storing or delivering tomatoes are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,804,961 (Cummin) and 4,079,152 (Bedrosian). Cummin teaches the packaging of tomatoes placed side by side in a tray with an overwrap of oxygen and carbon dioxide permeable film. The selection of the film is dependent upon the stage of ripening at which the contained tomatoes were picked. The Cummin package provides little physical protection for the tomato, and depends completely upon the water vapor transmission rate of the overwrap to determine relative humidity in the package. Bedrosian teaches the packaging of tomatoes in a tray or container having a film overwrap and a water absorbing material in the package. The Bedrosian package offers little physical protection to tomatoes, and may permit tomatoes to prematurely shrivel due to selection of a less than desirable water-absorbing material such as calcium chloride.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a tomato package which offers physical protection for the tomatoes and provides a controlled atmosphere, controlled humidity environment within the package to maximize the freshness and longevity of tomatoes in the red-ripe stage. Further, there exists a need for a package that will maintain humidity at a level to prevent or minimize shriveling as well as substantially eliminate mold growth. Further, there exists a need for a package that will maintain a substantially uniform relative humidity throughout the package. Further, there exists a need for a tomato package that will essentially maintain headspace oxygen concentration at a subambient level and headspace carbon dioxide concentration at a superambient level.